Difficult conditions don't deter Singapore
Lions intend to attack Tajikistan and reach group stage of World Cup qualifiers for first time
By Wang Meng Meng
THE LIONS WILL HAVE TO LIFT THEIR GAME as the Pamir Stadium pitch is rock hard and devoid of grass at many places. -- PHOTO COURTESY OF: FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF SINGAPORE
FIVE-NIL. That is the taunt the Lions have to put up with in Dushanbe, as they face Tajikistan in the second-round, second-leg of the World Cup soccer qualifiers today.
Singapore hold a 2-0 advantage from the first leg played at the National Stadium, and are on the brink of making it to the group stage for the first time.
There, the Lions will face one of the seeded Asian big guns - Australia, Iran, Japan, Saudi Arabia or South Korea.
Captain Indra Sahdan said: 'We didn't wander around too much in Tajikistan. But we did go for short walks around the hotel.
'Kids along the streets told us that their country would beat us 5-0.
'It was a friendly banter. The team are not disturbed by it. The Tajik people have been friendly.''
However, Tajik food did not go down too well with the Lions.
Yesterday, Hariss Harun, Agu Casmir and first-team players Noh Alam Shah, Faizal Hamid and John Wilkinson were down with diarrhoea.
Team manager Eugene Loo and media officer Adrian Chan were also taken ill after a dinner spread of beef stew, pasta, rice, bread, vegetables, chicken broth and fruits.
Indra assured: 'It's nothing too serious. Just a little stomach upset. They are expected to recover in time for the match.''
The biggest obstacle could yet be the 24,000 capacity Pamir Stadium, where the Lions are expected to excel on a turf that is bald, brown and bone hard.
Indra said: 'The pitch is quite bad. The grass is so dry that it has turned brown. And there are bald patches all over.
'Also, the surface is quite hard. The ball bounces too much and the pitch is very dusty.''
The new skipper, who took over from the retired Aide Iskandar, urged his teammates to focus on the task at hand.
He said: 'This will be a tougher game as compared to the home leg. Tajikistan will come at us with everything they have got in the opening minutes as they have nothing to lose.
'But our defenders have shown that they are no pushovers.''
Singapore coach Raddy Avramovic, who is expected to name an attacking 4-2-4 line-up, concurred: 'We will try to score at least a goal, but we must be careful not to leave space for our opponents to exploit.
'With the players we have, we are always capable of creating chances.'
Indra endorsed Avramovic's attacking attitude:
'Knowing Raddy, he won't settle for a draw.
'We will attack Tajikistan to get that away goal.''
The away-goal rule applies should there be a tie in the aggregate score.
Lions probable line-up: Lionel Lewis, Faizal Hamid, Precious Emuejeraye, Baihakki Khaizan, Daniel Bennett, Mustafic Fahrudin, John Wilkinson, Indra Sahdan, Noh Alam Shah, Aleksandar Duric and Khairul Amri.
[email protected]'The pitch is quite bad. The grass is so dry that it has turned brown. And there are bald patches all over. Also, the surface is quite hard. The ball bounces too much and the pitch is very dusty.'
INDRA SAHDAN DAUD, the new Singapore captain, on the Tajikistan pitch
